Second-marking clock



April 3, 1951' P. HUSSEY 2,547,468

SECOND-MARKING CLOCK Filed Feb. 26, 1947 INVEN TOR.

B401: HUSSEY,

14 T TOHNE 1 Patented Apr. 3, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE} 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to a display device, which finds its optimum embodiment in a second-marking clock. The primary object of the invention is to provide, in such a device, means whereby it will be made to appear that an element which is driven continuously at a uniform velocity about a center, moves, instead, in a series of jerks and jumps. A further object of the invention is to provide an illuminated means for attracting attention in a novel fashion. Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

Fig. l is a front elevation of an embodiment of my invention, parts being broken away for clarity of illustration;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, partly in central section; and

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are enlarged fragmental front elevations of a portion of the illustrated structure, showing the parts in various progressive positions.

Display devices, characterized by a source of illumination and a moving element positioned between that source and a point of observation and constructed and designed to create optical illusions of various kinds are well known in the art, and have become commercially popular in recent years. All of such devices known to me heretofore have been relatively complicated and expensive. All of such devices heretofore known to me have been of such character as to create the impression of moving light throughout the annular path of the moving element. Most of such devices are embodied in clocks; and my invention is herein illustrated, and will be described, as

similarly embodied; but it is to be understood that it may alternatively be embodied in any other desired form.

According to my invention, an extremely simple structure produces a novel impression. By the provision of special means, carried upon an element movable continuously, and at uniform speed, in an endless path, I produce the impression of an element moving through that path in a series of jumps or jerks between uniformly spaced observation stations along that path.

Referring more particularly to the drawings,

it will be seen that I have illustrated a housing It enclosing a standard clock Works (not shown)- providing the usual spindles projecting from the housing for carrying an hour hand H, a minute hand l2, and a second hand Is. Associated with the housing [0 is an annular, opaque mask 14 secured to the housing Ill in any suitable manner as, for instance, through the medium of the flange l5. The inner periphery of the mask is will preferably be formed and arranged to carry a sheet it of glass or other suitable transparent material.

Mounted in any suitable manner within the mask 14 is a light source which, in the preferred embodiment of my invention, takes the form of a luminous tube l! of circular conformation; and

the mask I4 is provided with an annular series.

of windows I8 substantially coincident with said tube, so that the luminosity of said tube is directly visible through said windows.

The windows [8 are arranged, as is clearly to beseen in Fig. l, in a continuous annular series, and are of uniform angular extent and uniformly angularly spaced apart. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the angular extent of each window is approximately three degrees, forty minutes, and the angular extent of each space l9 between adjacent windows is approxi-- mately two degrees, twenty minutes. Thus, in the clock illustrated, the median radial lines of adjacent Windows are spaced six degrees from each other, so that the hand l3 will pass one window each second.

A light obstructing device 20 is carried at the outer end of the hand I3 in such a position as to follow a path coincident with the tube I! and the series of windows It. Said light obstructing device comprises a pair of segments 2! and 22 angu larly separated from each other. In the preferred embodiment of my invention, the segments 2! and 22 will be opaque, and a third segment 23, having light filtering characteristics, fills the space between the segments 21 and 22. While I prefer the segments 2 i and 22 to be black and completely opaque, and the segment 23 to be red and translucent, partially satisfactory results can be obtained if segment 23 has light-obstructing characteristics substantially different from the lightobstructing characteristics of the segments 2| and 22. Thus, the segments 2i and 22 may be one color while the segment 23 is another color; the segments 2| and 22 may be colored or opaque while the segment 23 is uncolored and transparent; or the segments 2| and 22 may be colored or opaque while the space between them may be entirely open. However, as stated, I prefer to make the segments 2| and 22 black and the segment 23 red and transparent. As is clearly to be seen upon an inspection of Figs. 3, 4 and 5 the total angular extent of the light-obstructing means 2|] is equivalent to that of three succes sively arranged windows and the two spaces between them. The segments 2|, 22 and 23 are of equal angular extents, each being five degrees, thirteen minutes, twenty seconds.

As the unit 20 travels, at uniform angular velocity, through its path, the segment 23 com'" pletely covers a window just before the segment 22 completely cover the next adjacent window, and. shortly after the section 2| has completely covered the preceding adjacent window. Now; the observer sees the section 22 slowly completecov 'erage of the window which it has entered, while the section 2| slowly uncovers the window which it is leaving; but because the segment 23. has an angular extent substantially greater than the angular extent of the window with which it is associated, the intermediate window remains-closed; or colored, until, as is shownin-Fig; 5, the segment 2| has partially uncovered the window with which it is currently associated. Next, the segment 23 begins to uncover-the windowwith'which it is associated, and an instant later, the-section 22 begins to uncover its window while the section 2| completes the clearance of its-window.

The result of this arrangement ofparts is that it appears-tothe observer that the light-obstruct.- .ing means associated with thew-indow'intermediate those with which the segments 2| and22 are associated, pausesor dwells'upon thatintermediatewindew. Theattention iscaught by the-spot of colored light setoi'i and accentuated between the dark spots produced bythe segments 2| and '22, and the aggregate impression that that spot" of colored-light is moving-about the'annularpath in a series of jumps, with an extended'dwell. at each window.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a display device. a housing including an annular mask, said mask being'provided with an annular series of-translucentwindows, said win-- dows being of uniform angular extent. and being equally angularly spaced apart, a source of illu mination-positioned to; cast light through said windows, a movable sweep concentric Withsaid' mask, meansfor. driving said sweep about said center ata uniform' velocity, and light-obstructing means carried by said sweep upon a path in terposed between said light source and saidlwindows, said light-obstructing means including two substantiallycpaque segments, each havingan angular extent at leastas great as that ofone of said windows, said segments being angularly. spaced apart to define therebetween a translucent segment having an angular extent substan tially greater than the angular extentof a wine dow.

2. The device of claim 1, including light-fil tering'means fitting the spacebetween said segments.

3. The device of claim 1 in' which theadjacent 4 edges of adjacent windows are angularly spaced from each other approximately two degrees, twenty minutes, the angular extent of each window being approximately three degrees, forty minutes, and the angular extent of the space be tween said opaque segments being approximately five degrees, thirteen minutes.

4. The device of claim 3 in which the angular extent of said light-obstructing means is approximately fifteen degrees, forty minutes,

5., In a display device, a housing: including an annular mask, said mask being provided with an annular series of translucent windows, said windows being of uniform angular extent and being equally angularly spaced apart, a source of illumination positioned within said housing to cast light through said windows, a movable sweep concentric with" saidmask, means for driving said sweep. about said center at a uniform velocity, and light-obstructing means carried by said sweep upon a path interposed between said light source and said windows, said light-obstructing means including two segments of substantially equivalent light-obstructingcharacteristics, each having-an angular extent at least as great as that of one-of said windows, and an intermediate segment of substantially difierent light-obstructing characteristics filling the space betweensaid two segments and'having an angular'extent substan: tially greater than the angular extent of a window.

6. In display device, a housing including an endless mask provided with an endless seriesof translucent windows, said windows beingiof uniform extent in the direction of length of said mask and being substantially"uniformly spaced apart insaid direction, a sourceof illumination positioned within said housing to cast light through said windows, a mo'vablesweep mounted to travel on a path coincident with said series of windows, means'for drivingjsaid sweep along said path-at-uniforrn velocity, and light-obstructs ing meanscarried by said sweep-and interposed between said light source and said mask, said light-obstructing means including two segments spaced apart in the direction of' travel of said means and havingcertain light-obstructing char,- acteristics; each of said segments having a di: mension', int-he direction of travel of said means, at least as great as the corresponding. dimension of a window; and the space between'said segments having'a dimension, in said direction, substantially greater than the corresponding dimension of a window and havingsub'stantially difierent light-obstructing characteristics.

PAUL HUSSEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the fiieoftl'iis patent;

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,097,123 Hotchner Oct. 26, 19 37 65 2,302,491 Dawn Nov. .17, 1942 

